The fictional universe depicted in the series is premised on the notion that vampires exist, unbeknownst to the majority of humans until two years before the series premiere,True Blood Seasons 1-7 when the creation of synthetic blood ("Tru Blood") by Japanese scientists allowed vampires to "come out of the coffin" and reveal their existence to the world on the basis that they no longer need human blood to survive.E-1 This so-called "Great Revelation" has split the vampires of the world into two camps: those who wish to integrate into human society (aka "mainstream") by campaigning for citizenship and equal rights,E-1 and those who think that human-vampire co-existence is impossible because it is in conflict with the inherently violent nature of vampires. Throughout the series, other supernatural creatures are introduced,True Blood Seasons 1-7 DVD among them shapeshifters, werewolves, faeries, witches and a maenad.